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Pelham Historical Group Pelham Ontario is a town in Ontario Canada. Our town boasts an array of quaint fruit stands, rich farmlands and a small town spirit.

Pelham is comprised the following villages: Fonthill, Fenwick, Ridgeville, Effingham and North Pelham
Photos coyright Pelham historical information including life, culture, people, photos and more. Coverage includes the villages of Fonthill, Fenwick, North Pelham,and Ridgeville

📖 Take a look at this wonderful discovery!This original 1913 wallpaper sample book from the T. Eaton Co. of Toronto offe...
10/22/2026

📖 Take a look at this wonderful discovery!

This original 1913 wallpaper sample book from the T. Eaton Co. of Toronto offers a fascinating glimpse into how Canadians decorated their homes more than 110 years ago.

By the early 1900s, wallpaper had become an affordable decorating choice for many Canadian families. Improvements in manufacturing meant that even modest households could enjoy fashionable patterns once associated with wealthier homes.

🌸 So what might you have found in a Pelham home?

Dining rooms and parlours could feature elaborate floral designs, decorative borders and rich colours. Bedrooms might have softer patterns, while kitchens often called for simpler, more practical finishes.

And those beautiful greens, reds and golds in this booklet? They reflect the popular decorating tastes of the Edwardian era.

For Pelham families, mail-order catalogues offered something exciting: access to fashionable household goods from Toronto without having to travel to the city.

Imagine sitting around the kitchen table, turning these pages and deciding which pattern would look best in your parlour!

Or do you remember your grandparents’ home having wallpaper like these examples?

👇 Tell us what you remember! Better yet, share a photograph of an old wallpaper pattern you’ve uncovered. We’d love to see what was decorating Pelham’s homes generations ago!

❤️ Follow Pelham Historical Group for more forgotten treasures, local stories and glimpses into everyday life in old Pelham.

📚 References:
• T. Eaton Co. Limited, Samples Wall Paper, 1913. Original booklet pictured.
• Library and Archives Canada — Canadian Mail Order Catalogues: History.
• Robert M. Kelly, Toward a History of Canadian Wallpaper Use: Mechanization 1860–1935, Material Culture Review (2015).
• Robert M. Kelly, Japanese Wallpaper in Canada, 1880s–1930s, Material Culture Review.

🎻 A FIDDLE, A MYSTERY HOUSE & NEARLY 100 PEOPLE — WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN OLD PELHAM?Can you imagine the lively sounds of ...
10/20/2026

🎻 A FIDDLE, A MYSTERY HOUSE & NEARLY 100 PEOPLE — WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN OLD PELHAM?

Can you imagine the lively sounds of “Money Musk” drifting through the air on a warm afternoon in Pelham?

This traditional Scottish fiddle tune dates back to the 1700s and eventually found its way into Ontario’s musical heritage. And why mention it? Look closely at the foreground of this remarkable photograph. There’s a fiddle! Could music have been part of this special gathering?

📸 Believed to date from around 1885–1895, this rare photograph captures nearly 100 people, from babies to grandparents, gathered outside a rather impressive wooden building.

👒 And just look at the fashions! The ladies wear long Victorian dresses with high collars and neatly pinned hairstyles. The gentlemen sport waistcoats, jackets, hats and some magnificent moustaches! Even the youngest children appear dressed for a special occasion.

Among those identified are John Daboll (1844–1918) and Oscar Hansler, with possibly Ed Miller among the crowd.

🏡 Now for the real mystery! Look at that unusual sweeping gingerbread trim along the porch. Where was this building? Could it have been an old Miller family homestead?

Was this a family reunion, a church social or simply a wonderful afternoon spent with friends and neighbours?

🎶 Want to hear what “Money Musk” sounds like? Listen to this traditional fiddle tune here:

🎻 https://youtu.be/VGlwAKt_DaY?si=-6cAPaEwR5mVw4ww

🔎 HELP SOLVE THIS PELHAM MYSTERY! Do you recognize the building, any of the faces or the occasion? Perhaps an old family album holds the answer!

References:

* Historical group photograph and handwritten family identifications.
* Maud Karpeles Manuscript Collection, MK/1/3/5123 — Money Musk, performed by Michael D. Sullivan, Douro, Ontario, July 25, 1929.
* Traditional Scottish fiddle music history, Monymusk/Money Musk. The tune is offered as a period possibility, not an identification of music played at this gathering.

🍂🕯️ WHEN THE PAST CAME ALIVE AT FONTHILL CEMETERY! 🕯️🍂Who says history has to stay buried? Certainly not in Pelham!Last ...
10/17/2026

🍂🕯️ WHEN THE PAST CAME ALIVE AT FONTHILL CEMETERY! 🕯️🍂

Who says history has to stay buried? Certainly not in Pelham!

Last evening, Friday, October 16th, the Fonthill Cemetery was transformed into a place where history stepped out from behind the gravestones and came to life! This event was hosted by The Town of Pelham- well done!

The Fonthill Cemetery Historical Guided Tours offered visitors a wonderful opportunity to step back in time and discover some of the people and stories that helped shape our community.

As autumn leaves covered the cemetery grounds and lanterns lit the way, costumed interpreters brought a little of Pelham’s past into the present. From Victorian ladies in their beautiful period clothing to gentlemen dressed for another century, the atmosphere was absolutely wonderful!

And what better place to learn about our history? After all, our cemeteries are more than resting places. They are outdoor history books, filled with the names of families, pioneers, community leaders and everyday people whose lives helped build the Pelham we know today.

👏 A big thank-you to everyone involved in organizing this special evening, especially the wonderful volunteers and historical interpreters who helped bring these stories to life. Your time, enthusiasm and dedication to preserving local history are greatly appreciated!

📸 Here is a few photographs from the evening. What a lovely way to celebrate Pelham’s heritage!

❤️ Did you attend the tour? We’d love to hear which stories you enjoyed most! And if you recognize anyone in these photographs, give them a shout-out!

✂️ Do you remember Lini Grol’s little studio in downtown Fonthill?Many of you may recall the little house at 1431 Pelham...
10/16/2026

✂️ Do you remember Lini Grol’s little studio in downtown Fonthill?

Many of you may recall the little house at 1431 Pelham Street in downtown Fonthill. If you walked past, you could see delicate black silhouettes displayed in the windows.

It always struck me as curious that someone appeared to live in this house, yet its windows looked like a tiny art gallery. Only years later did I learn that it was the Fonthill Studio of Lini Richarda Grol.

Lini was an artist, writer and nurse who immigrated to Canada in 1954. After working at Welland County Hospital, she gradually devoted more of her life to writing and art. Her specialty was the old European art of paper cutting. Using scissors, she created remarkably detailed silhouettes of people, flowers, buildings and scenes from Niagara.

We still do not know precisely when she opened her Pelham Street studio. However, she was publishing work under the Fonthill Studio name by 1971. A dated advertisement from 1978 places Lini and her publishing business, Trillium Books, at 1431 Pelham Street.

Her work appeared in books, exhibitions and television programs, and in 1976 the Pelham Herald reported that the local artist had won a Molson Award. She continued living and working in Fonthill until 1994, when she moved to Holland Christian Homes in Brampton.

Lini died on August 1, 2018, at the remarkable age of 104—but traces of her creative life can still be found in local homes, archives and family collections.

I would love to hear from anyone who remembers visiting her studio. Did you watch her work, purchase one of her paper cuttings, or perhaps have one hanging in your home today?

Photographs of her artwork would be especially wonderful to see. Every shared memory helps preserve another small piece of Pelham’s history.

Please share this post with someone who might remember Lini or her little studio on Pelham Street.

Lini Grol Image Pelham Herald 1971
Swan Scissor Cut: LIni Grol Book Titled: Scissorcraft

Pelham Swim Team 1977Back row:Left to right______,Rick Roik? OP_,_______,______, Eve Pongray,Martha____, Bev Kuktah, Mar...
10/14/2026

Pelham Swim Team 1977
Back row:
Left to right
______,Rick Roik? OP_,_______,______, Eve Pongray,Martha____, Bev Kuktah, Mark Taliano, ____, Jeff Young, Michael Kuktah,
Middle Row
Left to Right
Heidi Genginbach, ____,_____,_____,_____, Laurie Zandvliet, ____,_____,_____
Front Row- no one identified
I’m confident you will be able to add more names and correct any spelling needed.

The Dishers were among Pelham’s earliest settlers, arriving before 1800.Farming was an important occupation for the fami...
10/13/2026

The Dishers were among Pelham’s earliest settlers, arriving before 1800.

Farming was an important occupation for the family, but the Disher name was also associated with a sawmill and hotel at Sanderson’s Corners, near Effingham Road and Sixteen Road.

Among those gathered here may have been farmers, tradesmen, merchants and homemakers. Women would have played an enormous role in managing households, raising children, preserving food and helping with farm work.

These were hardworking families who helped build our community.

🔎 NOW LOOK CLOSELY AT THE PHOTOGRAPH!

The handwritten notes beneath the picture are particularly fascinating!

Several individuals have been identified, including Asa P. Hansler, along with names that appear to include Sarah, Hettie, Matie and David Disher.

Notice the handwritten lines extending upward into the photograph. Look for the x above this line for identification.

We believe these markings were intended to identify particular family members. What a wonderful little piece of family history someone thought to preserve!

❤️ MORE THAN JUST A FAMILY PHOTOGRAPH

The Disher family belonged to Pelham’s earliest pioneer community. By the time this photograph was taken, several generations had helped shape the township.

The gathering also reminds us how closely connected Pelham families were through marriage, farming, business and friendship.

And wouldn’t we love to know what was served for dinner that day!

📸 CAN YOU HELP?

Do you recognize any of these faces?
Every little detail helps preserve another piece of Pelham’s history!

Photo and handwritten family information attributed to Asa Hansler.
Please FOLLOW our page. 😊

📚 References:

* Asa Hansler — Historical photograph and family identifications
* A History of the Town of Pelham, 1786–1993, Asa Orton Hansler
* Town of Pelham, Heritage Master Plan, 2012
* Historical account of Pelham’s earliest settlers (pictured)
- Disher family name circled in text from Historical Book title: History of Welland County 1887

🦃 Did you know Thanksgiving in Ontario was once a November holiday?Long before Thanksgiving meant an October long weeken...
10/12/2026

🦃 Did you know Thanksgiving in Ontario was once a November holiday?

Long before Thanksgiving meant an October long weekend, it was a day to give thanks for the harvest.

On November 3, 1859, an official harvest Thanksgiving was observed in what is now Ontario and Quebec. Church services marked the occasion with gratitude for an abundant harvest.

In 1879, Thanksgiving became an annual national observance, celebrated that year on Thursday, November 6. The date was chosen each year—it hadn’t yet found its permanent place on our calendars!

🍂 And when did turkey become the tradition?

There wasn’t one official starting year, but turkey dinners were becoming part of Ontario’s Thanksgiving celebrations during the 1870s. By the middle of that decade, Ontario newspapers were popularizing the familiar combination of a turkey dinner and a family gathering.

Beginning in 1899, Thanksgiving was usually held in October. In 1908, the holiday moved to Monday, making it easier for families to travel and spend the weekend together. After briefly sharing a date with Armistice Day during the 1920s, the two observances were separated again.

Finally, in 1957, Thanksgiving was permanently fixed on the second Monday in October.

From church services and harvest celebrations to a crowded family table, Ontario’s Thanksgiving traditions have changed over time—but gratitude and gathering remain at the heart of the holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving, Pelham! 🍁

What dish has always belonged on your family’s Thanksgiving table?

References:
• Canadiana: A Form of Prayer and Thanksgiving, November 3, 1859
• Canada’s History: The History of Thanksgiving in Canada
• York University: Peter Stevens’s research on Thanksgiving in Ontario, 1859–1914

⚓ A ONE-DOLLAR RECEIPT—AND A LITTLE PIECE OF PELHAM’S HISTORY!What was the Navy League doing in Fonthill? This surviving...
10/11/2026

⚓ A ONE-DOLLAR RECEIPT—AND A LITTLE PIECE OF PELHAM’S HISTORY!

What was the Navy League doing in Fonthill? This surviving envelope and membership receipt offer a fascinating clue!

Addressed to Miss Leone Jones of Ridgeville—later Leone Daboll—the receipt records a $1 Navy League membership for what appears to be 1919. The envelope names G. H. Secord, secretary-treasurer, Fonthill, beneath the heading “The Navy League of Canada, Ontario Division.”

The Navy League was a civilian organization supporting naval interests and the welfare of sailors. Leone’s receipt shows that residents here could participate in that wider cause.

But who was Secord? Imperial Bank of Canada reports place a G. H. Secord as Fonthill’s branch manager in 1916 and still in 1922. The matching initials, village and period make him a strong candidate for the officer on this envelope. By 1923, the bank listed F. T. Kyle as manager.

We haven’t yet confirmed Secord’s full name, the local League’s president or whether Fonthill had a separately chartered branch. But this little piece of paper provides direct evidence of Navy League activity in our community!

Does your family have a similar receipt, letter, badge or photograph? Sometimes the smallest keepsakes open the biggest doors into our past. ⚓

References: Original Navy League envelope and membership receipt addressed to Leone Jones; Imperial Bank of Canada annual reports, 1916, 1922 and 1923, McGill University historical corporate reports collection.

🐺 WHEN THE HOWLING OUTSIDE WAS REAL…Imagine lying awake in your Pelham log home, listening to hungry wolves prowling aro...
10/10/2026

🐺 WHEN THE HOWLING OUTSIDE WAS REAL…

Imagine lying awake in your Pelham log home, listening to hungry wolves prowling around the farmyard. Then comes the scratching…

For families settling here around 1790–1810, the forest could be a frightening neighbour. Later recollections preserved in History of Welland County describe dark, winding trails that ox teams struggled to navigate—and woods where bears and wolves were plentiful.

One chilling account says wolf packs became so numerous and bold that children could not safely attend school without an armed es**rt. That certainly puts a different spin on the morning school run!

At night, families reportedly lay awake as wolves howled around their homes. The book describes them sniffing at cracks in the log walls and trying to force their way into livestock buildings with teeth and claws. Imagine hearing that with your children asleep beside you.

And bears? They helped themselves to pigs, cattle, beehives, grain and corn. News of a bear brought neighbours rushing out with whatever weapons they could gather to join the hunt.

Today, we might worry about a raccoon tipping over the garbage. Early Pelham families had rather bigger concerns. 😳

Would you have slept soundly?

Reference: History of Welland County, 1887 p. 292, recollections of early Pelham supplied by descendants of its first families. The page does not assign exact dates to these incidents.

🌳 From garden rows to piano keys—the Crysler family story!This 1923 photograph introduces on Left Maude Crysler, Childre...
10/09/2026

🌳 From garden rows to piano keys—the Crysler family story!

This 1923 photograph introduces on Left Maude Crysler, Children: Viola May Crysler (later Mrs. Ben Summers), William Lewis (he went by Lewis) and Orlin A., husband William -a glimpse of a family with lasting connections to our community.

The Crysler farm on Hollow Road near Fonthill was devoted largely to market gardening: growing produce for sale. But tucked into its woodlot was something special—American chestnut trees! In an account published in 1995, Archie Lang remembered visiting around 1920, when Mr. Crysler showed him trees affected by chestnut blight. About 75 years later, Lang returned, and the farmer’s son Orlin showed him two surviving chestnuts. One near the house still appeared healthy. 🌳

Viola’s own documented career followed a musical path. The daughter of William and Maude Crysler, she taught music to hundreds of children. She also played the organ and piano in her church. She married Den Woodward and later Benjamin “Ben” Summers, enjoying travels with Ben and continuing to play piano at Pleasant Manor in Virgil. She died in 2005 at age 91.

From tending growing things to nurturing young musicians, there’s plenty of local history behind these names!

Do you remember the Crysler farm—or taking music lessons from Viola? We would love to hear your memories. 💚

References:
• Photograph caption supplied with the 1923 family image. Pelham Centennial Edition 1967
• Canadian Chestnut Council newsletter, October 1995, Archie Lang’s account.
• Viola May Summers obituary, St. Catharines Standard, January 27, 2005.

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